MISERY BAY—For the second time ever those involved in Camp Solelim, based out of Sudbury, visited the Misery Bay Park earlier this month.
“Everything was pretty well received,” stated John Diebolt, of the Friends of Misery Bay (FOMB), after the students and leaders of the Camp Solelim visit last week. “Some of the kids on hand hadn’t even had the chance to see a tadpole in their lives, until now.”
“Last Tuesday FOMB hosted 120 visitors for Camp Solelim in Sudbury. We provided lunch, guides and the presenters were all, of course, some of our Friends,” said Mr. Diebolt. “This group of 14- and 15-year-olds were mostly from Toronto, but also from other places, including Israel. Our Friends shelter was well used and appreciated as was the new boardwalk.”
“Camp Solelim have visited Misery Bay before,” said Mr. Diebolt. “It is an impressive camp based in Sudbury. The camp is for six weeks and the students do overnight visits to various places.”
“Once again I was very impressed with the calibre of presenters we are able to tap into on Manitoulin for FOMB,” said Mr. Diebolt. “To be able to call on this level of expertise speaks volumes about what Misery Bay is all about. Our group leaders had things so well organized, and our visitors received information and viewed sights that they had never seen or heard of before.”
Mr. Diebolt explained, “Peter Barnett impressed upon them the effect that ice over a kilometre thick had on our landscape and the evidence of it that remains to this day at the Alvar Arena and throughout Misery.”
“Manitoulin Streams’ Jessie and Erica had crowds of youths totally engaged-they had never seen leeches, tadpoles etc. Jessie had a large following as he ambled along the edge of the pool behind the beach,” said Mr. Diebolt. “Ian Anderson gave a most impressive information transferral on the history of trapping and its importance to Canada. And of course his hands on demo of the Misery Bay collection of furs was greeted with awe-these folks have never had a chance to interact with these mammals, and to then be informed that they sat where bears, coyotes, etc. have tramped-had them totally engaged.”
“Will Kershaw totally captivated his audience as he led them on short tours along the edge of the wetland and the vernal pool-I noted several group photos taken with the most prominent pitcher thistle as the foreground. He got a very important message across on the diversity and rareness of all things Misery.”
